The Big Issue says the police operation was not value for money

The magazine - which is sold by homeless people - is also thinking about taking legal action against Liverpool City Council which has temporarily banned sales in the city centre.

Officials and a vendor from the Big Issue handed in a formal complaint about Merseyside Police's operation on Tuesday.

Fifty-four people were arrested last week, of which 30 were charged with supplying drugs.

The Big Issue, which is now looking for alternative sales pitches in the city, said 12 of those arrested were sellers of the magazine.

Big Issue vendors like Nigel have been banned from the city centre

Richard Brown, from the Big Issue in the North, said: "We feel that a 15-month operation which netted �545-worth of drugs needs investigating as a value for money exercise."

One of the magazine's vendors, Nigel, complained the crackdown had had an effect on him and other sellers.

He said: "It's taken away my confidence and it's taken away my pride."

Liverpool City Council said it was "disappointed" with the magazine's response to the police operation.

It said it had met the magazine on Friday to discuss its concerns over the proper identification of vendors and pitches for selling the magazine.

It was also worried about the training, management and supervision of vendors and rehabilitation strategies.

We can't turn a blind eye to alleged drug dealing on the streets Merseyside Police

A spokesman added: "At the meeting, the Big Issue acknowledged that these were legitimate and serious concerns which they were in the process of tackling.

"We agreed to work together to maintain Liverpool's reputation as a safe city to live, work and visit.

"The Big Issue agreed to take immediate measures to deal effectively with some of the issues that had been raised. We are awaiting detailed proposals from them.

"We are not prepared to compromise the safety of any citizen of the city, nor are we prepared to allow or condone illegal activity.

"We want Liverpool to remain a safe and welcoming place for those who live, work, visit and play in the city."

A Merseyside Police spokeswoman said: "We can't turn a blind eye to alleged drug dealing on the streets and we will obviously take seriously any allegations."